“I’m here to see Mr. Milton.” I refrain from using his first name. That could just be another nail in my proverbial coffin.
“Of course, Mr. Taylor. You can go on in.” She smiles and points at the door to Drew’s office.
Hiking my bag up on my shoulder, I make my way to his office, stopping at the door and knocking on the frame. Drew looks up and nods. “Cameron, good to see you. Come on in.”
Doing as I’m told, I stride into his office like my insides aren’t shaking. He points at one of the black leather chairs across from his desk, and I sit.
“Thanks for seeing me. I know you have some free time today, well, time away from the club.” He laughs. “I know what it’s like during the season. Every hour you don’t have to be here is like a get-out-of-jail-free card. Don’t get me wrong,” he adds, “I loved the game. I still do, but a little downtime is nice as well.”
“Agreed.” I nod. I’m not sure what this meeting is about, and my guard is up. I’m not being an ass, but I’m not overly talkative either.
“Anyway.” Drew sits back in his chair. “I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here.”
“Yes, sir.”
He nods. “Hastings.”
That sinking feeling in my stomach falls just a little further. “Hastings,” I repeat.
“He’s retiring.” My mouth drops open in shock. “He’s not healing like he expected to, and he’s tired. He’s been in the league for fifteen years and has decided it’s time to call it quits.”
I open my mouth to speak, but the words won’t come. Hope wells in my chest. If I get a contract, if I get to stay, that means I get to stay close to Paisley. I don’t have to leave her.
“I’d like to offer you a three-year contract. We’re looking at twenty-two million for three years.”
I nod. That’s a fuckton of money. Money that Paisley and I can use to start our lives together. We can buy a house and have all our family over to our place.
“Cameron?” Drew says, pulling me out of my thoughts. “What are you thinking, son?” he asks.
“Paisley,” I blurt.
“What about her?” He raises his eyebrows.
“I get to stay with her.”
He throws his head back in laughter. “Taylor, I just told you that I was going to pay you twenty-two million dollars over the next three years to play for the Blaze, and your first thought was your girlfriend?”
I nod. “Yeah.” I can feel the smile that’s threatening to crack my face wide open.
He shakes his head, still laughing. “Here’s a copy of the contract. Have your agent look it over, your attorney, and get back to me by the end of the week.”
“Thank you,” I say, taking the envelope from him.
“You good with your agent?” he asks.
“He’s not really done much for me, except the phone call I got to come and replace Hastings.”
“You have a contract with him?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“Is there an out clause?”
“Yes. I made sure of it. I had an independent attorney take a look. I didn’t want to make a wrong choice and be stuck in a situation I couldn’t make it out of.”
He reaches into his desk drawer and pulls out a business card. “Call this guy. Tell him I sent you.”
“Thank you. Is there something wrong with my agent?”
Drew sits back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “I called him. Offered you three years for fifteen million. He accepted without bothering to try to negotiate or even calling you from the look on your face when you walked in here today.”
“Motherfucker,” I mumble under my breath. “Why are you doing this? You obviously raised the offer, and now this….” I hold up the business card.
“Paisley isn’t my niece by blood, but she’s my niece. Consider this a favor to her, and before you ask me why the favor is for you more than her, your reaction earlier tells me that I made the right choice. I’ve been in this seat for several years now. Eight, to be exact. You are the first player I’ve ever offered a contract to whose first reaction is that he doesn’t have to leave his girlfriend.”
“I love her.”
“I can see that. I hear you’re good to her too.” He smirks.
“No other way to be.” I shrug.
“Welcome to the team, Cameron.” He stands and offers me his hand.
I take it and give it a firm shake. “Thank you, sir.”
“Drew. You’re a part of the Blaze family now, and well, Paisley is family, so—” This time, it’s his turn to shrug.
“I have some phone calls to make,” I tell him.
“Right. Call the new agent, and if you have questions, Paisley has my number.”
“Right. The agent. I’ll do that too,” I promise. Standing from the chair with the envelope and business card in hand, I make my way back to the elevator. I’m in a daze on the ride, so when the doors slide open, I jolt and step off. I make my way to my truck in the players’ lot and pull my phone out of my pocket. Two people are on my short list of favorites. Mom and Paisley. My finger hovers between the two, debating on who to call first. Finally, I decide and hit Mom’s name. She’s sacrificed so much to get me where I am today. She needs to hear about this first before it gets out. Hopefully, by the time our call ends, I’ll be home, and I can tell my girl in person.
The phone rings through the truck’s Bluetooth as I pull out of the lot. “Well, this is a nice surprise,” Mom answers.
“Hey, Mom.”
“You ready for your game tonight?” she asks.
“I’m leaving the stadium now. We had an early morning workout. I’m headed back home to take Paisley out for breakfast. We’re going to celebrate.”
She gasps. “Cameron Joseph Taylor, did you propose and not tell me?”
I can’t help but laugh. “No. I promise when I ask her to marry me, I’ll tell you first.”
“Deal. So what are you celebrating?”
“I just left the GM’s office. I got a contract.”
“What!” she shrieks. “Cameron, that’s amazing,” she says, her voice cracking. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I go on to tell her what Drew said about my agent and how he raised my contract price without negotiations.
“That’s unheard of,” Mom comments.
“Yeah. The Blaze is a good team. A family. Drew is a solid guy.”
“And you’re dating his niece.”
“I’d like to think that’s not the only reason, but yeah. I’m sure dating his niece helped.”
“You’re only going to be an hour from me.”
“Perfect-case scenario,” I agree.
“Call me after you talk to the new agent, and let me know how it goes.”
“I will. Hey, I just got home. I’m going to jump off here so I can go tell Paisley.”
“She doesn’t know?”
“Nah. I called you first.”
I hear her sniffle. “I love you, Cameron. I’m so proud of you,” she tells me again.